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Sam Pittman looks for Travis Williams to inspire Razorbacks at Jordan-Hare Stadium

Former Auburn linebacker Travis Williams returns to Auburn this weekend as the Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator.

Auburn football opens SEC play this Saturday afternoon against the Arkansas Razorbacks and hopes to perform well against a Tiger legend.

The Razorbacks are led defensively by [autotag]Travis Williams[/autotag], who starred as a linebacker for Auburn from 2001-04 and later returned to the Plains as an assistant coach under [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag]. Saturday will not be the first time Williams has coached against the Tigers, but it will mark the first time he has coached a game from the opposing sideline.

When asked about Williams’ return earlier this week, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman says that he hopes that will bring extra motivation to his defense as the Razorbacks look to begin the SEC season with a victory.

“I hope so. I mean, we’re counting on it,” Pittman said. “Obviously, the whole team knows that he played there, and he’s well-liked, well-respected in the building, and on defense, obviously as well. We didn’t play well (Saturday vs. UAB), so we’ve got to get that fixed, so if that’s a little more inspiration to the kids, then we’ll certainly use it.”

Pittman discussed several other topics ahead of the Auburn game including [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]’s impact and the success of the road team in past matchups. He was also asked to compare Auburn quarterbacks [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], where he shed light on what makes each quarterback different.

“I think one game from Brown … The difference in their offense is really, with Throne it was more of a zone read, keep the ball, give the ball, counter read, give the ball, keep the ball. They threw more RPOs with Brown. So it’s the same principle, you’re giving it or you’re throwing it,” Pittman said. “I think with Thorne, a little bit more they gave it, or he kept it. And it killed us last year with him keeping the football. I don’t know what he averaged per run, but it was a bunch. That’s really the difference. I don’t think they changed a whole lot schematically throwing the football with their stops, their go routes or their crossers. They ran a little bit more drop-back with him this past week. I can’t speak for Coach (Hugh Freeze), but I think Thorne was a great threat in running the football. And Brown may be more of a bigger threat throwing it. I mean, he can wing it, now. For his first game to throw four touchdowns, pretty impressive. But that’s probably the biggest difference is, run to pass versus run to run.”

Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks trek to Auburn on Saturday to battle the Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn falls in latest USA TODAY Sports re-rank despite win over New Mexico

It took a while for Auburn to pull away from New Mexico, leaving Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports unimpressed.

Auburn football earned a win last weekend by defeating New Mexico, 45-19 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

However, several experts across the country were not impressed with Auburn’s second victory of the 2024 slate including Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports.

Myerberg released his weekly re-rank this week ahead of week four’s action and has placed Auburn at No. 67, a five-spot drop from week three’s ranking. The Tigers check in one spot behind their week four opponent, Arkansas, and are one spot ahead of Illinois, who gained five places in the ranking after defeating Central Michigan on Saturday, 30-19.

Auburn’s drop in Myerberg’s rankings is expected as the Tigers’ performance did not indicate what the scoreboard projected. It took Auburn three quarters to show signs of having control of the game as two touchdown passes allowed Auburn to move ahead, 31-13. New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier also passed for 293 yards, further exposing Auburn’s struggles at stopping the pass.

Auburn’s offense saw an uptick in production, however, as [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] passed for 235 yards and four scores while [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] rushed for 152 yards. Auburn will need an impressive showing this Saturday at home against Arkansas to be considered for a bump in Myerberg’s rankings next week.

Several interesting notes from this week’s re-rank include Oregon jumping five spots to No. 7 after beating rival Oregon State on Saturday, and Toledo cracking the top 25 after upsetting Mississippi State on the road. Indiana was this week’s biggest mover by jumping up 27 spots to No. 58 after beating UCLA in Los Angeles while UTSA and Air Force took the biggest tumble, falling 25 places respectively.

What did we from Auburn’s win over New Mexico?

Following Auburn’s week three win over the New Mexico Lobos, here is what we learned about the team in Hank Brown’s debut at quarterback

The Auburn Tigers are back in the win column and is making changes to try and keep things on the right track as they prepare for SEC play next week.

On a rainy night inside of Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Tigers took down the New Mexico Lobos on Homecoming 45-19 with a new starting quarterback in freshman [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag].

Brown replaced Payton Thorne after a rough start to the season, making his second game appearance after playing in last year’s Music City Bowl.

With all the buzz of his performance out of the way, here is what we learned from Saturday’s game about this Auburn squad.

The obvious thing to say is that there is easily a lot of potential that Brown has with his play. He went 17 for 25 with 235 yards and four touchdowns, showing flashes of what he can do in his young career.

Brown’s throws were proven to be sharp, even when partially inaccurate. His velocity gets the ball out quick and away from any danger where it may lie.

The downside at moments was the ability to get plays off in an efficient manner. While he was thrown into action on a week’s notice, the Tigers run the offense at an efficient pace and need him to move quicker on a consistent basis.

The running game proved itself again as [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] racked up 20 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown, staying elusive and using his strength to his advantage. While Auburn can not be one dimensional, it needs to be able to run as it has in the past.

The defensive play is still highly questionable for this team, which is a problem heading into a tough conference slate.

Most notably, one-on-one coverage in the secondary has not been great and was especially evident last night. The Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of too many passes that could have gone either way and must improve on turning that around.

On the positive side of it, interceptions by [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] recorded the team’s first two forced turnovers of the season, finally getting on the board after two weeks of no chaos. They look to continue that next week.

Auburn takes the field for its fourth home game in a row against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2:30. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on X @traley34

The best images from Auburn’s 45-19 win over New Mexico

Re-live the biggest moments of Auburn’s 45-19 win over New Mexico with this photo gallery!

Auburn football hopped back into the win column on Saturday night by taking down New Mexico, 45-19.

There were plenty of things to celebrate following the win, such as a 503-yard offensive output and [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] reaching the 100-yard mark in rushing for the first time this season. However, Auburn showed that there are still a few things that need to be worked on in order to truly call this season a success.

“We always celebrate wins. It’s good to see some joy in the locker room. As a coach, you have to look at everything in a critical view, but we should never forget to celebrate those,” Freeze said following the win.”I’m happy for our kids, our staff and our fans, that they leave Jordan-Hare (Stadium) tonight with a win. But, there’s a lot to improve on for sure and we’ll have to get cleaned up. It feels better to leave here with a win all the time and we’ll take it.”

Re-live some of the key moments from Auburn’s win by checking out this photo gallery.

Auburn’s offense is at the forefront of this week’s ‘Misery Index’

Dan Wolken of USA TODAY Sports includes the Tigers in this week’s Misery Index following their poor offensive showing against Cal.

Following its loss to California last Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn football has returned to a familiar place, The Misery Index.

Dan Wolken of USA TODAY Sports included Auburn in his weekly piece following the Tigers’ poor offensive performance. Auburn gained just 286 yards of offense in the 21-14 loss. It also did not help that running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] failed to score or reach 100 rushing yards and that Auburn’s shiny new receivers did not have the opportunity to play a major role in the team’s output.

When describing Auburn’s place within the index, Wolken cites head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s past success in building high-octane offenses and gives his take on why Auburn’s offense has yet to take off in year two of the Freeze era.

It’s not like Auburn was shy about paying for good football, even when NCAA rules made it more complicated (take that however you like). And it’s not like Hugh Freeze, for all the controversy that has surrounded his career, has ever dealt with questions about his ability to put a good offense on the field. So what gives? How is it that as Freeze enters Year 2, he’s still wedded to a quarterback in Payton Thorne who just can’t get the ball down the field? After ranking 92nd nationally last year, Auburn’s offense is still stinky. That much is clear after a 21-14 loss at home to California in which Thorne threw for 165 yards and Auburn had just 286 total yards while committing five turnovers. If you’re not getting offensive production out of a Freeze-coached team, what are you really getting? His inability to get a quarterback upgrade out of the transfer portal this past offseason may land him on the hot seat pretty quickly.

Thorne completed 52% of his passes and received a low grade of 51.8 from Pro Football Focus. According to PFF data, Thorne threw two “turnover-worthy” passes and attempted just one “big-time throw” in the loss. He also missed several of his key receivers including Cam Coleman and KeAndre Lambert-Smith multiple times. Thorne and Freeze will get a chance to shake off the loss this Saturday by hosting New Mexico for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

What did we learn from Auburn’s loss to Cal?

Auburn football still has plenty of questions to answer through two weeks of the season.

Following a dominant Week 1 victory over Alabama A&M, Auburn football had a great deal of optimism surrounding its program on where it could go this season. Now, that script has been flipped.

The Tigers posted a disappointing performance in a 21-14 loss to the California Golden Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium, leaving many with the same questions the team had entering the season.

Auburn did not have many shining moments in this game. Despite the low score, it was dominated on both sides of the ball.

Here is what we learned about this Tigers squad after the defeat.

The first thought that popped into the minds of the majority of fans is how quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will respond to this performance. The second-year starter went 14 for 27 on the day, throwing for just 165 yards and one touchdown.

The most alarming part of his stat line: He threw four interceptions. Much of that stemmed from bad decision making, throwing passes into traffic while being very inaccurate.

At the same time, the offensive line did not provide much time for the skill players to make much happen. Thorne was sacked four times and running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] gained 68 yards on 12 carries. His longest run was for 27 yards.

It seemed every player was being stuffed inside the box at any given moment. With only two weeks until SEC play begins, the offense may need to change scheme wise.

As for the defense, the story between the first two weeks was very different. It gathered only two sacks on Saturday, both from [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag]. There was not much pressure, something the defensive front will have to get around before the conference slate.

On the same page, coverage in the flats was not very active, consistently allowing two-yard gains to turn into 10 or 15 yards.

To wrap it up, the defense still has not forced a turnover through two weeks, trying to search for that first bit of disruption on opposing offenses.

Auburn has a chance to turn its luck around next week when it takes on the New Mexico Lobos for its homecoming game.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on X @traley34

Instant Analysis: Turnovers plague Auburn in loss to California

Five Auburn turnovers led to 14 California points in the Bears’ 21-14 win over Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The confidence that Auburn built in its season-opening win over Alabama A&M last week quickly dissipated on Saturday as it dropped its first game of the 2024 season in a turnover-ridden affair.

A second-quarter interception by [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and a stripped ball in the fourth quarter led to 14 California points in the Golden Bears 21-14 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

Each team traded scores in the first quarter. Cal (2-0, 0-0 ACC) gained momentum in the second quarter thanks to Nohl Williams’ interception of Thorne with 12:15 in the first half. Cal capitalized with a three-play drive to score the go-ahead touchdown. Cal’s Fernando Mendoza connected with Nyziah Hunter to move the Bears ahead of Auburn (1-1, 0-0 SEC), 14-7. Cal took advantage of a stripped ball in the early stages of the fourth quarter by turning it into seven points to extend its lead to 21-7.

Thorne scampered into the end zone with 6:06 to go in the game to help Auburn cut into Cal’s lead, 21-14. However, the Tigers did not find the end zone past that point.

Auburn avoided disaster in its first possession. On the game’s second play, Thorne threw a pass intended for running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] that was initially ruled an interception and returned for a touchdown by the Cal defense. However, after review, it was determined that the pass hit the ground before bouncing into the hands of a Bear defender.

The review worked in Auburn’s favor as the drive ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Thorne to [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] to push Auburn ahead, 7-0, with 11:42 to go in the first period.

Cal responded by scoring touchdowns on two of its next three drives to take a 14-7 lead into halftime. The Bears held onto the ball for over 10 minutes longer than Auburn in the first half and outgained the Tigers, 222-178.

The third quarter saw both teams alternate five possessions with punts, with Cal capping the quarter with an interception of Thorne, their second of the day. Luckily for Auburn, Cal kicker Ryan Coe missed his 55-yard field goal attempt wide right on the ensuing possession to keep the score 14-7 with 12:55 remaining in the game.

The first play following the missed field goal, Cal’s Teddye Buchanan stripped the football away from Hunter to regain possession. Two plays later, Jaivian Thomas rushed 32 yards to the end zone to extend the Bears’ lead to 21-7 with 11:27 remaining in the contest.

In all, Auburn committed five turnovers in the loss, with Thorne tossing four interceptions. California outgained Auburn, 332-286 and limited Auburn’s pass-driven offense to 153 yards. Freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] led all receivers by hauling in two passes for 53 yards. Auburn’s defense allowed Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza to complete 25 passes to nine different receivers for 223 yards.

Next up for Auburn is a home tilt with New Mexico on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on X @TaylorJones__

The best images from Auburn football’s 73-3 win over Alabama A&M

Auburn football kicked off the 2024 season with a massive win over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Saturday

Auburn football kicked off the 2024 campaign with a strong 73-3 win over Alabama A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Tigers set the tone of the game early thanks to a 34-yard touchdown rush by [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] with 14:13 remaining in the 1st quarter. Auburn would score three more times in the opening stanza, all via the pass from quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

Passing was the name of the game for Auburn as Thorne and backup [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] combined to complete 64% of their passes for 451 yards and six touchdowns. A total of 10 different receivers recorded a reception in the win, with freshman [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] leading the charge with three catches for 91 yards and a score. Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] led the team in receiving touchdowns with two.

There were many memorable moments in Auburn’s season-opening win, take a look back at some of the best by checking out this photo gallery.

Instant analysis: Revamped passing game shines in Auburn’s season-opening win over Alabama A&M

Auburn receivers lived up to expectations in the Tigers 73-3 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday.

Auburn football fans entered the 2024 season hoping to see new life within the passing game.

Through one game, it is safe to say that quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and the Tigers’ receivers lived up to fans’ expectations.

Thorne and backup quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] combined to complete 18-of-28 passes for 451 yards and six touchdowns in Auburn’s 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M. The duo combined to connect with 10 different receivers.

After [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]’s 34-yard touchdown run with 14:13 in the 1st quarter, Auburn went on to record four receiving touchdowns over its next six drives. On the Tigers’ ensuing possession, Thorne connected with Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] on a 67-yard pass to push Auburn ahead, 14-0 with 12:47 remaining in the opening quarter. Thorne and Lambert-Smith hooked up again later in the quarter on a 4-yard touchdown pass. In-between Thorne and Lambert-Smith’s connections, freshman [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] hauled in his first collegiate pass for a 44-yard touchdown to push the Tigers ahead, 21-0.

Thorne’s final passing score of the night came with 10:10 remaining in the first half when he found another true freshman, [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], for a 70-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 38-0. Thorne passed the torch to Brown after calling his own number for a four-yard rush to give Auburn the 45-3 lead with 3:22 in the 2nd quarter.

Brown picked up where Thorne left off by throwing two touchdown passes of over 35 yards. He found freshman [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] for a 57 yard score and later connected with Cal transfer [autotag]Sam Jackson V[/autotag] from 37 yards out. Brown’s home debut concluded after passing for 96 yards and two scores.

[autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] finished the game by leading Auburn’s final drive that lasted five plays, 36 yards. However, it resulted in a lost fumble.

Three Auburn receivers recorded over 80 yards of receptions: Malcolm Simmons (91 yards), Perry Thompson (82), and KeAndre Lambert-Smith (80). Cam Coleman logged 62 yards on two catches with a touchdown in his highly-anticipated debut.

Auburn football kicks off the 2024 season with a 1-0 record. Next week, the Tigers will look to remain unbeaten by hosting Cal at Jordan-Hare Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

Pregame sights ahead of Auburn football’s season opener with Alabama A&M

Take a look at the best images from Tiger Walk ahead of the 2024 season opener!

The day we had long awaited was finally here. It is game day on the Plains!

Auburn football has gone through the traditional “Tiger Walk” and is warming up on the field ahead of the season opener with Alabama A&M. Players such as [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], and [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] return to the Plains for another season while [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Blidi[/autotag], and [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] make their much-awaited debut in orange and blue uniforms.

Ahead of Saturday’s season opener, here’s a look at the best images from Tiger Walk before Auburn’s game with Alabama A&M.